Saracens salary cap ruling delay
PREMIERSHIP Rugby have deferred announcing the results of the inquiry into Saracens’ alleged breach of the salary cap due to fears of derailing England’s World Cup bid. Sportsmail has learned that Sport Resolutions, the independent disciplinary panel charged with assessing whether Saracens’ investments with players constitute a breach of the £7million cap, have concluded their investigation but their findings will not be made public until after the tournament.
Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) informed a meeting of club executives last week that a decision on Saracens will be announced ‘within the next four weeks’ and Sportsmail has been told that a desire to avoid overshadowing the World Cup is the main reason for delaying an announcement that was originally due in the first week of October. There are eight Saracens players in the England squad in Japan including captain Owen
Farrell, and any sanction given to the club could have a significant impact on their careers. If Saracens are found guilty they will almost certainly be forced to cut their budget, in addition to potentially being given a points deduction of up to 35 points, which could lead to several players needing to look for new employers. In addition to Saracens’ England contingent, the club also have Wales full back Liam Williams and South Africa prop Vincent Kock still involved in Japan, with PRL concluding that it would be wrong to distract players ahead of the biggest week of their careers. The PRL have not been told of Sport Resolutions’ findings in order to preserve the integrity of the process and will abide by them in their entirety. The other 11 Premiership clubs are expecting Saracens to be found guilty and given a significant punishment following Sportsmail’s revelations last March of investment partnerships and property-sharing arrangements between Saracens owner Nigel Wray and leading players, including Farrell, Maro Itoje (right) and Mako and Billy Vunipola.
While the clubs had originally hoped for a verdict before the domestic season began last weekend, Sportsmail has been told the majority of chairmen understand a judgment being delayed because of the World Cup. With six Saracens players in England’s starting XV against Australia for last weekend’s quarter-final, club bosses are acutely aware of the sensitivity of the timing and the potential for a judgment to disrupt England’s campaign in particular. PRL declined to comment yesterday.